Most of
these acts could learn a thing or two from STEREO, a French synth-wave duo
actually from the early eighties, whose brief but brilliant career is compiled
on "Somewhere in the night" Minimal Waves Records.

No doubt the reason most people buy this record will be for the massive
minimal-synth/italo/vocoder/etc hits "Somewhere In The Night" and "No More" and
for this reason alone it's definitely a worthwhile purchase. I was shocked how
good these tracks sound compared to the lacklustre mp3s I'd only heard of them
before.

The compilation subtitle "The Best Of Stereo" is in fact a bit
misleading, as this record is really ALL of Stereo (minus one track on the vinyl
edition) as it collects just the "Assembly Line" LP and "Somewhere In The
Night".

Some will be surprised by how conventional the other tracks on
this album are and it's hard to understand why the group didn't have more
commercial success at the time, when some of their tracks wouldn't sound out of
place next to other 80s synth-poppers like OMD, Duran Duran or even Quarterflash
(okay that may be pushing it).

For my taste, the best of the new
discoveries are "TV News"; an edgy fast-paced track a liitle bit similar to "No
More", and "Lover On The Run"; which is pure 80s funk sleaze, nothing
challenging, just a perfectly produced pop song that in an alternate universe
could be recorded by Billy Ocean. Of the rest, all are enjoyable and there's
really no bad tracks, but deserving of particular mention is the final track
"Moonshine", by far the slowest piece with a heavy, hypnotic beat, soft
beautiful synths and female vox. I knew this one already from the b-side of the
"Black Jack" 12", but I'm very glad it's included here as it's equally deserving
of attention as "Somewhere..." and "No More".

The record is really a nice
package with a high quality reproduction of the original "Somewhere In The
Night" cover art (surely one of the greatest 12" illustrations), a glossy insert
and most importantly a heavyweight vinyl pressing (that smells pretty good
too).Overall a great job by the Minimal Wave guys and a good example of how
a comp or re-issue should be done, with excellent sound quality and money going
to the original artists Bernie Adam and Terri Noritop (who is still producing
music) rather than the tracks appearing on some soul-less bootleg.

OTHER
MUSIC

Somewhere in the Night is a collection of recordings, circa 1982-'85, from
France's Stereo. The three opening tracks are full of some totally unexpected
workout video/jazz-wave vibes that had Other Music's Karen and I wondering why
we couldn't stop listening! I kept hearing shades of "Xanadu," Irene Cara's
"What a Feeling" and the Blade Runner soundtrack (only imagine Vangelis
collaborating with a mellower Visage and a more mysterious Human League and Roxy
Music) all rolled into one infectious train wreck. Then the epic drama-dub of
"Moonshine" came on. Karen and I both smiled and looked at each other with
knowing nods of the head. It all suddenly made sense; embrace this record and
don't be afraid. I know the description might sound a bit scary, but Somewhere
in the Night actually rules! There is an unabashed sincerity to the entire
package that just works. Not only is this a very welcomed curveball from the
label, it's also the very first release on Minimal Wave to be made available
("Gasp!") on both vinyl LP and compact disc, as well as MP3 download! (The CD
version comes with a nicely printed poster to match the LP's insert, just ask
for it at the counter.)

- Scott Mou (28th January 2009)

NOISE SFBG
Music Blog

1980s duo Stereo's
criss-cross sunglasses put Kanye's Venetian shades to shame. Minimal Wave delivers once again
with this synth jam gem. I'm on the lookout for another recent Minimal Wave
release, a vinyl-only collection by Linear
Movement. But Stereo -- not to be confused with Kompakt figurehead Wolfgang
Voigt's early recording project of the same name -- has surprising songwriting
chops. My fave track might be "Nowhere in the Island," which uses the echo vocal
effect so beloved by circa-1983 new romantic acts to great effect. It includes
saxophone and yet still has a potent air of melancholy. I wonder if these two
French guys every rubbed pointy shoulders with Bernard Fevre of Black Devil Disco Club.